Chapter Four: Keyblade of the Four Essences, Arcadia
Riku screamed out in pain. Who wouldn't, if someone just took a fragment of their heart straight out of their chest? Blood blossomed from his body, and he limply fell onto the ground, unmoving. But he was still conscious. Brendan knew that.
"Surprised?" he hissed, staring at the heart that he clutched in his hand. It was just like any other, but instead of being completely, it was a tiny fragment. The heart portion was small enough to fit in his palm with immense ease. "It was all an act. Yes, I am a key. However, I work for the Greaters. I am the Eighth, the Dubious Lightning. I've already found Oblivion. She's in another world… and now, thanks to you, I can use this to take a piece of her soul."
The small heart fragment disappeared, and in its place was another Keyblade… Soul Eater. The Keyblade Riku had used when he was with the darkness to unlock people's hearts. "With this, I'll complete my mission and take a portion of her soul. You'll never be able to open the gate without that portion. The Eternity Gate is ours."
Alarmed by Riku's cry, Sora and Kairi burst through the cockpit door, staring at Brendan in horror. "What did you DO?" screamed Kairi, dashing over to Riku. The other boy shrugged and smirked at her and Sora.
"Need an explanation? How 'bout you ask dear Riku? I'll be making my escape now…"
Brendan rested the Soul Eater on his shoulder, opened a portal, and jumped through. It closed too quickly for anyone else to enter.
Sora swore, and hurried over to help Riku.
Silently, tears poured down the sides of her cheeks, the door silently closing behind her. She was never going back. Ever. All the girl could recall were those memories, piercing into her skin like shattered glass shards. Her face was covered in blood. In fact, her whole body was covered in the substance.
She finally knew why her father didn't want her to attend the academy – the magic and fighting academy – that everyone went to. If she were to hone her skins, she could give him a piece of her mind.
Azure eyes, glimmering with unshed tears, blinked them back. She wasn't going to cry.
This had all started five years ago, when she was eight-years old. It had happened so fast. A disease called tuberculosis had taken her mother's life. Her father had believed it was her fault she died since they didn't have that too much money, definitely not enough money to take her mother to the hospital. She had tried to save her mother, even entered a fighting competition to earn an immense load of munny, and though she had no experience with swords, won. That night, she had ran home, pulled open the front door, and ran up the stairs to tell her mother the wonderful news.
She was too late.
The girl had found her mother, eyes closed, body limp, in bed. The lady was not breathing. Her father was staring at her with glossy eyes, ones that were holding back tears. In anger, he had stomped over to her, and shattered a nearby flower vase on her head. She cried so much, locking herself in her own room. Ever since that, her father had taken to beating her and yelling at her until his throat was sore. The worst part of it was that since she had been so harshly the second day since her mother's death, her lungs were seriously injured. She had been coughing up blood everyday since then.
But it was time to let go of the memory. She was free. She was out of that place.
The girl stifled of sob, thinking of good things. She pulled out an elixir she had fortunately stolen from a cupboard, downing it. Her wounds healed, though it did not erase the lingering pain that had been received from the wounds, plus the massive sting in her chest. The blood still remained on her body. A shadow loomed over her just then as she stumbled into an alleyway.
"Are you all right?"
She looked up; staring at the source of the soft, mature voice. Long blonde hair framed the handsome boy's face, reaching around his shoulders. His face, with delicate eyebrows, a perfectly carved nose, finely chiseled cheekbones, stared down into hers.
"Y-yes," she rasped, voice hoarse from the lack of usage. "W-who are you?" she asked, stumbling a little backwards, only to have her hand grasped by his and led away from the alleyway.
"I'll tell you later. Right now, we have to get you cleaned up. I've never seen someone so hurt…" As they dashed past various buildings, the girl took a look at herself, murmuring in response, "He went easy on me this time though…"
"No," answered the boy. She blinked in confusion. "Not that. Your eyes." Without waiting for a response, he continued, "They look anguished and dead without life." He suddenly stopped, swearing as a circle of strange creatures surrounded the two. The creatures were jet-black, wobbling back in forth almost drunkenly, antennas sprouting from their heads. What peeved the girl most were the sight of their glowing yellow eyes, instilling raw terror into her very person.
The boy, obviously a graduate from the academy, summoned a blade in flash of light. It was a blood red, two feathery wings arching together to form the hilt. Dangling from it was a feather-shaped key chain. The blade was sleek, ending in what looked like a head of a bird with sharp feathers, a large wing protruding the side to give it a key-like shape.
He smirked, the dangerous weapon held viciously in his grasp. "Phoenix Firestorm… we're ready to dance!" Slamming the weapons into the ground, the ground burst into an explosion of fire, burning all the shadows away.
The girl stood there, watching in awe, finally recognizing who he was. "You were that boy… you threw the final match in that tournament for my mother…"
He straightened, the weapons disappearing in another flash. "Yes. Finally recognized me, eh?" He smiled at her. "But your mother… she died anyway, didn't she?"
The girl bowed her head. "Yes… That's why I'm like this. My father isn't proud of the fact that she died. He loved her very much."
"I see…" he murmured. The fire began subsiding, fading away from view. "We have to get away from here before more of these shadows come. They've been coming here repeatedly, probably for the princess…"
"Huh? You mean Her Majesty, Princess Yumiko?" asked the girl, her gaze momentarily flickering toward the tall castle that stood majestically on the side of the village, large iron gates standing around it in a protective way.
"Yes. They're after her for some reason, probably because her heart is so pure. There are more shadows at the castle than ever. That's why most of the adults are missing. Come on!" He seized her hand, and they ran. She felt free, able to stretch her legs and move. Surprisingly, she discovered that though she was unskilled, she was able to run as fast as the boy's current pace. Stopping before a large mansion, he stabbed one of his key-like weapons into a lock on the door, ushering her in before closing the door behind him, locking it once again.
"The mansion…" she murmured quietly, staring in admiration at the beautiful furniture surrounding them.
"C'mon. One of the maids can get you cleaned up…"
She followed him up the stairs.
"Thank you…" the girl mumbled gratefully, smiling, as soon as he came back into the room after the maid had left. "By the way…" She turned to the boy, azure eyes twinkling with thanks. "What's your name? I didn't catch it before…"
"You already forgot?" he chuckled, amusement evident in his tone. "My name is Takuya. Don't forget it." She nodded her head violently, hair flapping to and fro. "Good to know that you're all cleaned up now. The sight of blood kind of peeves me." The blonde walked to the door of the room, turning the doorknob and pulling it open.
"Stay here. I'll be back," he commanded, exiting, closing the door quietly behind him.
The girl leaned back, sinking comfortably into the soft velvet feel of the cushion, adoring the lovable touch, all the while thinking. "Those creatures… they're…"
They are the heartless.
Alarmed, she shot up from her seat, looking around warily with eagle eyes. "W-who's there?" she demanded, fear interlacing her voice. It sounded choked up with terror. The voice chuckled.
Do not fear me. Go to sleep.
"Wha…?" she asked to no one in particular, confusing sweeping through her very being. However, a strange sense of fatigue wrapped its tendrils around her. She dropped backwards onto the bed in a dead faint.
The door then creaked open, Takuya walking in once again; his key-like weapon held at ready as though suspecting that one of those shadowy creatures would attack them again. His gaze flickered to the unconscious girl lying on the guest bed. "Hey! You okay?"
He dashed over to her, immediately groping for her hand to check her pulse. It was still there, beating at a normal pace, none too quickly nor slowly. He sighed with relief. "Must be tired from all the events happening… after all, life was never too good on her…"
"Where… am I?" whispered the girl, staring down at the stained glass platform she stood upon. The platform seemed to completely defy physics. Why was it floating in the air? But then again, anything could happen. Four rays of light beamed down before her, one beside the other. Forming in mid-air were four weapons, all in the center of each ray of light. She glanced towards the sword at the left.
Power. Strength. Warrior. Do you select this path?
She immediately shook her head in horror and stepped into the middle, where a shield was.
Protection. Defense. Guardian. Do you select this path?
Again, she shook her head. A shield didn't seem to feel right… Walking towards the staff, she paused and stared at it in wonder.
Mystic. Magic. Magician. Do you select this path?
The girl thought over this option, before deciding that she did not want it and walked away to the last weapon. It was more like an accessory however. The "weapon" was merely a necklace with a key charm attached.
The path to the unknown… Power unexplored. Your destiny intertwines with that of many others. You shall be the key to all. Do you select this path?
The girl nodded. There was a flash of light, and the necklace exploded into particles, flying towards her to seep into her skin. She glowed slightly, before the glow subsided and a weapon flashed into her waiting hands. She gasped at its appearance.
With a length of about four and a half feet long, the weapon, like Takuya's, was shaped like a key. The handle was an eerie gray, one bat-shaped wing seeming to protrude from one of the sides, a demonic jet-black, horn jutting from the very edge. From the other side protruded a white wing, nursing a feather-like texture while the bat wing had a scale-like one. The two wings curved to finish the hilt, giving her a perfect grip on the weapon. The blade, which seemed to begin at the handle, passing through the middle of the circular shape created by the two wings. It was a gradient of black, gray, silver, and white, each color slowly fading into each color in that order, starting at the blade-area near the bottom of the handle. Crossing the blade was another, a quarter of it sticking out on one side of the blade, while the rest stuck out on the other end. The longer section of it, like the hilt, had two wings extending from it, both the bat-wing and feathery wing. They curved, though they did not connect, to finish the key look. Overall, the weapon looked strangely glossy, as though completely composed of crystal and glass.
For some reason, it reminded the girl faintly of a scythe, although it looked more like a key-shaped sword than a scythe. It was sort of like Takuya's Phoenix Firestorm blade.
The Keyblade of the four essences. Arcadia.
"Mm-hm," she murmured. "Keyblade. So that was the weapon that Takuya had as well." She said this cheerfully; humming a soft melody under her breath when something she saw made her heart almost stop.
Three of the shadowy creatures Takuya had saved her from had emerged from the ground. Three more of some white creatures appeared at the other side, having limbs that bent in impossible directions, possessing fluid movements. They had gaping, open zippers for mouths. The last of the creatures were a dull, gray color. They were short, winged bat-like creatures, sharp fangs poking out of their mouths. Bound around where their eyes should have been was a black blindfold, red eyes glowing from behind them. Their claws and talons were brandished.
The creatures of darkness, heartless. The creatures of twilight, nobodies. Lastly, the creatures of nothingness, the Lessers.
Keyblade held tightly in her grasp, she got into her fighting position, holding the blade diagonal near her chest. One of her feet stood behind the other, turned to a ninety-degree angle to another side, heel against heel. Her other hand grasped the end of the blade. Indeed, it was the strangest stance ever, but that didn't bother her.
Smiling, she waited for the creatures to approach. When they did, she snapped into action and lashed around, Arcadia whipping about to destroy the enemies, moving with fluid, graceful movement.
"Is Riku okay?" whispered Kairi, staring worriedly at her older friend. Sora inhaled deeply, straining to not start screaming, and bit his lip.
"I don't know… Brendan turned traitor and took a portion of his heart. I'll kill him when I get the first chance," he hissed. Kairi had never seen her friend look more angered.
"Yeah… I'll fight too."
"He will pay."